SINGAPORE: Europe and the United States are amongst the top travel destinations for Singaporeans keen to take advantage of the weak euro and US dollar.
Travel agencies at the NATAS Fair which opened on Friday, said the two continents, together with Japan and Korea, are expected to be their best sellers.
This, even though air ticket prices remain more or less unchanged, said Tradewinds Tours General Manager Sheldon Hee.
Mr
Hee said: "Air ticket prices have always been variable. You always see
promotional prices in the market and these are always competitive. What
has really made the difference right now is that the prevailing exchange
rates for all these destinations, in particular Europe and the US, has
made day-to-day expenses, on food, or shopping a lot more attractive
than it would have been, even two years ago."
Travel sales to
Japan are stabilising five months after the tsunami in March, with some
agencies saying they expect business to return to or even go beyond
pre-tsunami levels.
Eddie Ung Kwan, manager of JTB Travel Saloon,
said: "The earthquake crisis in Japan is over and the radiation threat
outside Fukushima is low. And it's near the end of the year, so people
are keen on holidays."
With uncertainty continuing in the global
economy, NATAS CEO Robert Khoo said some may be more cautious about
travelling, but most Singaporeans will continue to travel at least once a
year.
"To a certain extent it does affect directly. But
Singaporeans being Singaporeans, they will always want to go out and
enjoy themselves, at least once a year. Maybe they will cut the number
of trips this year but I'm sure they'll still travel," said Mr Khoo.
According
to a NATAS survey on visitors at its last fair, 62 per cent of
respondents said they make two to three trips a year, while 12 per cent
said they travel more than four times a year.
- CNA/cc/ck
go lah..............go lah................
before depression comes........................go have some fun lah...........
the last good times for next few decades..........................